Structural locking and forming device



Sept. 30, 1969 J. H. BRENNEMAN 3,469,815

STRUCTURAL LOCKING AND FORMING DEVICE Filed Dec. 17. 1965 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 'John H. Brennemon BY v W7W,WM,

ATTO NEYS p 30, 1969 J. H. BRENNEMAN 3,469,815

STRUCTURAL LOCKING AND FORMING DEVICE Filed Dec. 17, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR John H. Brennemun ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,469,815 STRUCTURAL LOCKING AND FORMING DEVICE John H. Brenneman, 173 Mansgrove Road, Princeton, NJ. 08540 Filed Dec. 17, 1965, Ser. No. 514,572 Int. Cl. E04g 11/06, 17/06 US. Cl. 249-41 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to methods and apparatus for accurately molding or imbedding structural members in concrete or other plastic material which later becomes hardened and rigid by the effects of time or other factors.

In the construction of concrete or the like structures it is normally necessary that structural members such as reinforcing rods, electrical or fluid conduits, supports or other devices be aligned and located so that the concrete or other molding material may be poured around them, to firmly locate the structural members when the concrete or the like has been cured or hardened.

The invention provides a method and apparatus whereby the forms for the molding material may be positioned properly with respect to each other, and whereby other devices such as conduits, reinforcing rods, and other structural members may be accurately positioned with respect to the forms.

In particular, the invention relates to the proper positioning of members for the reception and interlocking of other structural elements after the concrete or other molding material has hardened and taken a permanent set, whereby the aforesaid structural members are firmly and rigidly held by the solidified molding material.

It is accordingly a major object of the invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for the proper spacing and location of form members for the containing of the concrete or other molding material.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a novel method and means for the accurate location of substantially rigid structural elements that are rigidly imbedded in the molding material when hardened.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of novel devices which will rigidly maintain spaced form members which may be ultimately removed so that they will contain the molding material in proper configuration while the molding material is being poured and hardened.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of novel devices which will rigidly maintain the alignment of structural members such as spline seats within the form members that contain the molding material while it is being poured and hardened.

Other objects will become apparent from the claims, and as the description proceeds in connection with the appended drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of my invention.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a novel method and apparatus 3,469,815 Patented Sept. 30, 1969 "ice provided by the invention for aligning a structural connector member that it may be substantially flush with or at a controlled distance from the upper surface of a concrete beam of foundation Wall after the concrete has been poured. It will be understood that these are merely exemplary of a wide variety of structural uses to which the invention is applicable.

Referring still to FIGURE 1, a pair of form members 6 and 7 of wood or other suitable material are shown here in coplanar parallel relationship, but need not necessarily be so aligned. If the article being cast is a concrete beam the form members 6 and 7 will rest upon a planar or other surface. If the article being cast is a concrete foundation wall, or an upper portion thereof, the form members 6 and 7 will be the upper portion of the forms for the wall.

In the following description, it will be assumed that the article being produced is a concrete beam, although it will be apparent that the article may be of any other suitable material that will harden to form a rigid article after being poured into a mold.

The pair of form members 6 and 7 are positioned as shown by a plurality of suitably spaced preferably metallic spreaders 8 which are inserted into transverse slots 9 formed by sawing, for example, in the form members 6 and 7. The spreaders 8 are long enough so as to protrude beyond the outer surfaces of the form members 6 and 7 and are preferably of such thickness: as to fit snugly into the slots 9. The depth of the slots 9 is sufiicient to allow the spreaders to be inserted far enough that their upper edges are flush with the upper surfaces of the form members 6 and 7, for a reason which will become apparent.

Spreaders 8 are of such a thickness that they are substantially rigid and at least portions of their outer ends are vertically serrated as indicated at 10 so that they may be easily bent, or later broken off at the surface of the molded material after the forms are removed. Thus, when form members 6 and 7 have been positioned the desired distance apart, spreaders 8 are interted into the slots 9 until their upper edges do not protrude above the upper surfaces of form members 6 and 7. After the spreader is laterally aligned as discussed below, the outer end portions of the spreaders 8 are bent so that portions 11 lie along the outer surfaces of the form members 6 and 7. During this time, suitable means may be used to maintain the proper spacing of form members 6 and 7 if such spacing is not maintained by the fit of spreaders 8 in the slots 9.

The outer ends of the spreaders 8 have apertures 12 therein, so that after they have been bent so that their portions 11 lies flush against the sides of the form members 6 and 7, nails 16 or other suitable fasteners may be driven through the apertures 12 into the form members 6 and 7. As a result, the spreaders 8 will hold the form members 6 and 7 in proper spaced relationship. Preferably, if the fasteners 16 are nails, they have double heads, so that one head engages the bent portions of the spreader and the other head protrudes into the open, for easy engagement by a claw, for removal of the nail, as will be described later.

In addition to the aligning of the form members 6 and 7, the spreaders 8 have a second important function. Intermediate their ends, and between the form members 6 and 7 they are provided with downwardly extending slots or recesses 17. During assembly, when the form a members 6 and 7 are being positioned by the spreaders 8, the slots or recesses in the spreaders may be aligned in any desired alignment even if the form members might be Warped or crooked.

This permits the placement of a longitudinally extending seat member 18 so that it nests in a plurality of the slots 17 in the spaced spreaders 8. In the illustrated embodiment the seat member 18 is a substantially rectangular tube and its height is the same as the vertical depth of the slots 17 in the spreaders 8, so that when it is nested in the slots the upper surface of the upper wall 19 will be substantially in the same plane as the upper surfaces of the form members 6 and 7.

The illustrated seat member 18 is of the type shown and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 514,573 filed on even date herewith and comprises a metallic or plastic tube having upwardly directed toothlike projections 20 on its outer vertical walls and angled serrations like those shown in FIGURE 17 of said copending application on its inner vertical walls. Its upper wall 19 has one or more longitudinal toothlike projections and the upper wall is split or slit almost in two parts at 23 longitudinally of the seat member with the edges of the slit abutting each other. The inner surface of the upper wall 19 is longitudinally serrated as also indicated in FIG- URE 17 of said copending application.

As described in the above mentioned copending application, a continuous longitudinal spline member on the bottom of a partition or the like may be inserted into the seat member 18 by pressing it against the upper surface of the upper wall 19 of the seat member, whereupon the two sides of the upper wall 19 on opposite sides of the slit 23 are bent downwardly and the spline on the bottom of the partition is inserted in seat member 18. It is to be understood that seat member 18 shown is for illustrative purposes only and that the spreaders 8 will properly support and locate any structural member so that concrete or the like may be poured around it. A hole is also shown through the spreader 8. This may be of any size or shape to receive other members, not shown, which are to be imbedded, such as conduit, reinforcing rods or the like, which may be inserted axially through a series of holes 15 in the spreaders 8, the holes being axially aligned.

Strips of tape 24 may be wrapped around the joints between adjoining ends of lengths of seat member 18 to prevent extraneous foreign material from penetrating into the interior of the tubular seat member 18. Also, the abutting edges of the slit 23 prevent the entrance of foreign material. In order to prevent displacement of the seat member 18 during pouring of concrete or the like into the space between the form members 6 and 7 the seat member 18 may be secured in the slots in the spreaders 8 as by twine or wire or the like.

The space between the form members 6 and 7 is now filled with concrete, plastic, or other material 27 up to the level of the upper surfaces of the form members 6 and 7, and finished in the conventional manner. The toothlike projections 22 may be covered with an adhesive tape or the like to prevent the entrance of the molding material during this operation. After the concrete 27 has hardened, the nails 16 are removed, the bent portions of the spreaders 8 straightened or broken otf, whereupon the form members 6 and 7 may be removed. Those portions of the spreaders 8 protruding from the concrete are broken off flush with the surface of the concrete, this being facilitated by the serrations 10.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 2, spreaders 34 and 35 are similar to the spreaders 8 of FIGURE 1 except that instead of slots 17, each has one set of scored or punched lines 37 forming a knock-out which can be punched out to form a small open topped slot for the reception of a seat member 38, and a second set of scored or punched lines 39 forming a knock-out which may be punched out to form a larger open topped slot for the reception of a guide 40 that is larger than the seat member 38, surrounding the seat member 38 except for a central longitudinal portion thereof.

The guide 40 is of metal or plastic, and the construction is shown and described in my copending application Ser. No. 513,652 filed Nov. 26, 1965, now abandoned in favor of application Ser. No. 598,560, filed Oct. 12, 1966,

4 now United States Patent No. 3,364,641. It provides a limited lateral floating movement of the seat member 38 within the guide.

Another difference in the spreaders 34 and 35 is that they each have circular knock-outs 44 and 45 having scored holes of various sizes. In this figure two circular knockouts are shown, but there may be any number of any shape desired for differing needs. In FIGURE 2 a water pipe 46 is shown passing through the hole of knock-out 44. If a larger or smaller pipe, electric conduit, or the like is to be used, a different scored part of the knock-out 44 or 45 can be punched out.

The spreader 34 is used in the same manner as the spreaders 8 of the embodiment of FIGURE 1. Spreader 35 is also used in the same manner, except that it is in a horizontal position, passing through horizontal slots 48 and 49 in the vertical form members 51 and 52, and properly spacing them when its downwardly bent por tions 54 are secured as by nails 55. In this figure it does not locate either the seat member 38 or the guide 40, being substantially below them.

In FIGURE 2 the spreader 35 is reversed end for end from the position of spreader 34, and its knock-out 45 with its central aperture is located below the guide 40, mid-point of its width. A tubular electric conduit 56 passes through the form member 51 then turns upwardly, passing through the central hole in the knock-out 45 and upwardly through a central opening in the lower wall of guide 40, terminating substantially flush with the upper surface of that lower wall. Conduit 56 should preferably have a tight fit in the opening in guide 40 and a sealing compound may be used to prevent the entrance of concrete into the guide 40. Seat member 38, which has a transverse floating movement within guide 40 has an opening 59 through its bottom wall, substantially in alignment with, but larger than the diameter of conduit 56. After the concrete 60 has been poured, finished, and hardened, the form members 51 and 52 may be removed in the same manner as described in connection with the embodiment of FIGURE 1, care being taken in slipping form member 51 over the protruding end of conduit 56. Then the remaining protruding ends of the spreaders may be broken off. Insulated electric wires 58, four being shown, pass through the conduit 56. Before the longitudinal spline member of a vertical partition is inserted into the seat member 38 it is located properly in longitudinal direction and then an opening is cut in the bottom wall of the spline member of the conduit 56 so that the insulated wires 58 may be guided through the center of the longitudinal spline merit; her after the spline member is inserted into the seat member 38, whereby the longitudinal spline member becomes a conduit for the wires.

There is thus provided a novel method and apparatus for properly locating form members, conduits and wall seat members or the like for the pouring of concrete or other molding material around them.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come Within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a pair of spaced form members for the reception and retention of molding material until it hardens, said form members having pairs of aligned slots therethrough spaced along their length, spreader members extending between said form members and through aligned slots therein and having end portions protruding beyond the outer surfaces of said form members, each spreader member comprising an elongated rigid strip of metal having oppositely disposed edges, at least one face of said strip having a plurality of transverse parallel serrations perpendicular to one edge and extending from edge to edge thereof adjacent each end portion of the strip, and fastening means securing said protruding end portions to said form members, whereby said form members are maintained in proper alignment during the pouring and hardening of the molding material.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the spreader member is rigid and substantially planar in the space between said form members, and having weakened portions extending through and on both sides of said aligned slots.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said spreader members are substantially planar in the space between said form members, with their planes substantially parallel, and having closely spaced serrations perpendicular to the length of the spreader located between the central and opposite end portions.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein said spreader members have coaxially aligned recesses in their upper edges between said form members.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein the upper edges of said spreader members are straight and coplanar with the upper edges of said form members, and said recesses are of equal depth.

6. The combination of claim 2 wherein said spreader members have coaxially aligned apertures therethrough in the portions between their upper and lower edges and between said form members.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein the upper edges of said spreader members are straight and coplanar with the upper edges of said form members and having coaxially aligned recesses of equal depth in their upper edges between said form members.

8. A spreader member for securing a pair of form members together in fixed spaced relationship while they are filled with a molding material which hardens after being poured, comprising an elongated rigid strip of metal having oppositely disposed edges, at least one face of said strip having a section of transverse parallel serrations perpendicular to one edge and extending from edge to edge thereof adjacent each end portion of the strip.

9. The spreader member of claim 8, wherein said strip has a slot in one edge thereof in a central region between said serrations.

10. The spreader of claim 8, wherein said strip has a weakened section in one edge portion thereof in a central region between said serrations, providing a knock-out which when punched out provides a slot in the edge of the strip.

11. The spreader of claim 10 wherein said strip has a second weakened section, larger than and including said first mentioned weakened section to provide a second knock-out larger than said first mentioned knock-out.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 775,666 11/1904 Shute et a1. 24 9-190 XR 1,468,790 9/1923 Orlopp et a1. 249-213 XR 1,491,413 4/1924 Orlopp et a1. 249-216 XR 1,556,313 10/1925 Dodd 249-213 XR 1,597,424 8/1926 Bennetts 249-41 1,619,933 3/1927 Hawley 249-213 XR 1,784,329 12/1930 Bierhaalder 249-213 XR 1,970,547 8/1934 Anderson 249-191 XR 2,268,883 1/ 1942 Lind 249-216 XR 2,775,017 12/ 1956 McDonough. 3,055,076 9/ 1962 Van Helden et. al. 249-191 XR 3,137,909 6/1964 Bonin et a1. 249-191 WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 249-214, 218 

